Your photography club has 20 cameras worth £15,000.
Your church has projectors, microphones, and tables that people borrow.
Your makerspace has tools that walk away.
You need to track who has what. Here's what works.
Why equipment tracking is different from inventory
You don't need asset management software. That's for tracking serial numbers and depreciation.
You need checkout software. Who borrowed the drill? When is it due back?
Most equipment tracking software is designed for corporations with IT departments. You're a volunteer managing a photography club.
Google Sheets: Free but fragile
Create columns: Equipment Name, Borrowed By, Phone Number, Date Out, Date Due.
- What it costs
Free.
- The good parts
Everyone knows how to use it. Works on any device. Share it with multiple volunteers.
- The not-so-good parts
Easy to accidentally delete rows. No reminders when equipment is overdue. Gets messy fast. Looks unprofessional when showing a member "let me check my spreadsheet..."
- Best for
Under 20 items. Testing if you need real software.
Asset tracking software: Overkill and expensive
Enterprise asset management software, such as Asset Panda or EZOfficeInventory, handles equipment checkout.
- What it costs
£30-100/month.
- The good parts
Every feature imaginable. Barcode scanning. Mobile apps. Reports. Maintenance tracking.
- The not-so-good parts
Designed for IT departments managing 1,000+ items. Complex setup. Monthly fees add up. You're paying for features you'll never use.
- Best for
Organisations with 500+ items and dedicated staff.
Equipment rental software: Wrong tool entirely
Software like Booqable or EZRentOut is designed for rental businesses.
- What it costs
£50-150/month.
- The good parts
Handles pricing, invoicing, online booking, and payment processing.
- The not-so-good parts
You're not running a rental business. You're tracking club equipment. All the rental features are useless overhead.
- Best for
Actual rental businesses that generate revenue from equipment.
YourBookNest.com: Built for simple checkout tracking
Full disclosure: I built this because everything else was either too simple (spreadsheets) or too complicated (asset management software).
YourBookNest.com tracks who has what equipment and when it's due back. Nothing more, nothing less.
- What it costs
Free for under 100 items. £40/year for larger collections.
- The good parts
Dead simple. Beautiful modern interface. Works on phones, tablets, and computers. No installation. Volunteers learn it in minutes. Perfect for photography clubs, churches, makerspaces, and sports clubs.
- The not-so-good parts
Basic. No barcode scanning. No maintenance tracking. No invoicing. Just checkout and due dates.
- Best for
Organisations with 20-500 items where simplicity matters more than features.
How to choose
- Under 20 items?
Google Sheets. Don't overthink it.
- 20-100 items?
YourBookNest.com (free). Simple checkout tracking with a proper interface.
- 100-500 items?
YourBookNest.com (£40/year). Still simple, just more capacity.
- 500+ items or need maintenance tracking?
Asset management software. You've outgrown simple tools.
- Running a rental business?
Equipment rental software. You need invoicing and payments.
What organisations actually need
Not what corporations need.
You don't need barcode scanners, depreciation tracking, maintenance schedules, or integration with your ERP system.
You need to know: Who has the camera? When is it due back? How do I contact them?
That's it.
Special considerations for equipment tracking
- Valuable items
A camera costs more than a book. You care more about tracking it.
- Volunteer-run
The person managing equipment changes every year. Software must be instantly learnable.
- Members forget
People hold onto equipment longer than books. You need a simple way to see what's overdue and contact them.
- No budget
Most clubs and small organisations run on member dues. £40/year is manageable. £100/month isn't.
Final recommendation
- Most small organisations (20-500 items)
YourBookNest.com. Simple, affordable, purpose-built for this exact use case.
- Under 20 items
Google Sheets works fine.
- Large organisations with complex needs
Bite the bullet and get proper asset management software.
Your equipment is valuable. Tracking it shouldn't be complicated.
Pick something simple and start tracking today.
